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Unorganised workers likely to get ESI, PF

VIZIANAGARAM: Chairman of Andhra Pradesh Building and Other Construction Workers’ Welfare Board S. Gopal has said that the ESI Act will be amended suitably in the next session of Parliament to extend ESI and PF benefits to all registered unorganised workers, especially construction workers. Infrastructure facilities at ESI hospitals will also be improved accordingly.

He said that life insurance of Rs.2 lakhs and accident insurance of Rs.1 lakh were being proposed besides many more packages. He said that the Department of Labour would shortly register names of those construction workers who had worked for 90 days in the last 12 months. In the first phase, 21.5 lakh workers would be registered. The CM would shortly announce dates for registration through the 230 identified centres in the State, Mr. Gopal said at a press conference here on Friday.

He said that the CM had conceded the welfare board’s request on extending Rajiv Arogya Sri scheme to workers and their family members.

Mr.Gopal said that as per the Building and Other Construction Workers’ (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996, and the Building and Other Construction Workers’ Welfare Cess Act, 1996, one per cent cess must be collected from builders whose turnover was more than Rs.10 lakhs and deposit the amount in the account of the welfare board.